Acquire Raises $2.8 million to Build World’s Most Founder-Friendly Startup Acquisition Marketplace
Acquire, a startup acquisition marketplace that’s helped over 300 startups get Acquired, has raised $2.8 million dollars from Bessemer Venture Partners, Naval Ravikant, and Remote First Capital.
Founder and serial entrepreneur Andrew Gazdecki will use the investment to build a world-class team, develop the platform, and introduce new tools that help founders achieve what can be life-changing exits. From SaaS to eCommerce to mobile app companies, Acquire aims to be the best platform for buying and selling startups in the world.
With two acquisitions under his belt, Gazdecki is no stranger to the challenges of selling startups. Having experienced the frustrations of the acquisition process first-hand, Gazdecki wants to help millions of entrepreneurs exit their businesses without the usual headaches seen in the market today.
“The exit has always been an important part of the founder’s journey and the process has been historically characterized by information- and experience-asymmetry that effectively penalizes founders,” said Gazdecki. “We’re changing that at Acquire and shifting the balance of power towards founders.”
Gazdecki’s vision has attracted attention from Silicon Valley’s most respected angel investors and venture capitalists whose own experience of the acquisition process has been far from perfect.
Jeremy Levine is a partner at Bessemer Venture Partners and has invested in some of the most successful technology startups in the world, including Pinterest, Shopify, Yelp, and LinkedIn.
“Acquire solves problems on both sides of an exit,” Levine said. “I’ve been at the negotiating table during many acquisition discussions, and I’m certain Acquire will play an instrumental role facilitating exits for startups.”
Likewise, Andreas Klinger, former CTO of On Deck (www.beondeck.com) and founder of Remote First Capital, invests in companies that rethink global industries from first principles.
“Acquisitions are critical to modern entrepreneurship and yet the process itself is still stuck in the dark ages,” said Klinger. “I’m excited to see the impact of Acquire as this kind of market transparency, for founders and Acquirers alike, will create all kinds of new business opportunities.”
Gazdecki also recognizes the changing face of modern entrepreneurship, with acquisitions becoming a key strategy of many companies today.
“Businesses are beginning to Acquire smaller companies to fill product gaps while others leverage M&A as a meaningful growth driver,” argues Gazdecki. “Acquire wants to make this process as easy as possible for both buyers and sellers. Right now acquiring a company can be confusing and archaic.”
Acquire counts over 50,000 registered users and lists over 500 startups in its online marketplace. The combined revenue of the currently listed startups exceeds $250 million.
